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How much wax

2K views 17 replies 8 participants last post by  Steve Neul 
#1 ·
I cleaned the top on my new saw and put a coat of paste wax on it and after I buffed it, I didn't really notice it being any slicker. How much wax should I be using and what should it feel like after?
 
#9 ·
It doesn't matter how much you wax the saw. The excess should be wiped off with a clean dry cloth afterwards. Any residue left on the surface your wood will pick it up and then cause you problems with finishing.

I bought a cheap mouse sander from HF that is hook and loop for that. An automotive scotchbrite pad will stick on it just fine so I use a fine scotchbrite pad on the sander to apply the wax. It polishes the surface while applying the wax to make it extra slick.
 
#11 · (Edited)
The most effective wax to use is simply paraffin wax, e.g. candle wax. It used to be sold in the baking isle of grocery stores, but I don't know if that's still true. I still have the same block from years ago. Paste waxes are pretty much gone after the first board passes, but paraffin will last for hundreds of lineal feet of cutting.

To use it, you just rub it on the surface, and then leave it alone. No polishing or cleanup. I used it on the table saw for ripping hundreds of feet of faceframe stock, and also on the shaper when milling stile/rail frame stock with a power feeder. I also used it a lot on my Kreg drill bit to keep it lubricated and cool. I'd just rest the drill on the wax and the heat from the bit would melt a little onto the bit.
 
#12 ·
I never notice paste wax being gone after the first pass. Most saws in the shop are waxed once a week , some will do it every morning some do it several times a day. Personally I wax between jobs or if I know the equipment will sit idle....

I have the same can of Johnsons I bought 20 years ago...Just takes a little...
 
#14 ·
Gulf Wax is the common brand of paraffin wax. It is used for home canning (fruits and vegetables), crafts, and many other uses. It is inexpensive. You can find it at the grocery store, Walmart, and many other places. It comes as a solid block of paraffin wax. Paraffin wax is like a plain white candle with no wick.

For those who use it on their table saw, how you you apply it? Do you rub the block all over, then buff it off? Do you soften or melt it first?

Do you know what makes your paraffin wax different than the paraffin wax in Boeshield T-9? Can you explain why your paraffin is slick, but my Boeshield T-9 is sticky, despite much buffing effort?
 
#15 ·
First off, it doesn't feel slick to you or your hand, but it is slick to the workpiece. So that makes it counter intuitive, and the reason why a lot of people don't realize that it works better than paste wax.

Yes, you just drag the block across the surface of the cast iron and leave behind a white streak of wax. It's not there to look pretty; it's there to lower the friction coefficient between the wood and iron.

As for the Boeshield T-9, I'm pretty sure I have some down in the shop from way back when that first hit the market (they sent out free samples back in the 90's), but the block of wax was just easier to handle at the time.

However, you gave me an idea to ponder. No, I'm not going to switch, myself, but I bet the wax-based end-sealer that Rockler sells would give you a wipe-on paraffin wax finish. Someone could try it out. I do have some, and when it dries, it leaves a very thick wax coating behind.
 
#18 ·
I don't care much for paraffin myself. In the winter months it gets almost too hard to use and in summer pretty nearly melts here in texas. I had one stick of it I happened to let hang off the edge of the saw a few inches and when I found it it had bent to a 90 degree angle hanging down with a wax stalactite hanging down from it. Been much warmer and it might have reached the floor. I mainly use it in furniture to free up sticking drawers. For that it works better than paste wax.
 
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